To spend time away from home with a female friend, a sarpanch allegedly stage-managed his kidnapping. However, the police saw through the ruse and have rounded up the sarpanch.

To spend time away from home with a female friend, a sarpanch allegedly stage-managed his kidnapping. However, the police saw through the ruse and have rounded up the sarpanch.

On September 4, the Tarn Taran police received a report that Alawalpur village sarpanch Sardara Singh had been kidnapped by occupants of Tavera car. It was also reported that the kidnappers fired shots in the air before whisking away the sarpanch.

Tarn Taran SSP Kanwaljit Singh Dhillon drew a strategy and several teams were formed to 'rescue' the sarpanch.

"During investigations and routine questioning, we found that the sarpanch was friendly with a woman. We probed deeper and discovered that the woman was also missing from her house," the SSP said.

The police then started work on the theory that both the sarpanch and the woman were together.

Finally, the sarpanch was nabbed near a gurudwara in Booh village. The kidnapping incident was staged to mislead the police and the families, said the SSP.

"Later, the sarpanch and his relatives and friends called up the woman, who joined them. On getting wind that the police had seen through the concocted kidnapping, the woman was sent back home and the sarpanch also reached near the gurdwara in Booh village."

On the action being contemplated against the sarpanch, the SSP said: "We have rounded up the sarpanch and investigations are on. Some loose ends are yet to tied-up. After investigations, we will decide on the charges to be levied against the accused."

The police have recovered the car used in the 'kidnapping' and the revolver from which shots were fired in the air.